Apparatus for the distillation and fractionation of petroleum and other liquids.



H. L. BU RLESON & P. w. PRUTZIVIAN. APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION AND FRACTIONATION 0F PETROLEUM AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. II, I913- 1916. 3 SHEETSSHEET I.

8 1 v p A d 6 b H no t 3 P .ILaI IQ WITNESSES H. L. BURLESON & P. W. PRUTZIVIAN. v APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION AND FRACTIONATION 0F PETROLEUM AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I1, I913. mm m I Patented Apr. 18,1916.

3' SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. L. BURLESON & P. W. PRUTZMAN. APPARATUS FOR THE DISTILLATION AND FRACTIONATION 0F PETROLEUM AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. H, 1913. I

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNESSES HARRY L. Jameson, or JBELVEDERE, AND PAUL eAtrToamA.

'' WATT i.

W. PRU'JlZllllLAN, F BERKELEY,

ATTAJaATUs Ton Tr-ns nrsTrtLATTon Ann rnAoTIoNATIoN or TnTaoLnUr/T Ann omen.

- macros.

- county of Alameda, State of California,

have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Apparatus for the Distillation and Fractionation of Petroleum and. other Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

Among the objects of this invention are: to separate petroleum or other mixed liquids into any desired number of its fractional components at a single operation: to

reduce, and under favorable conditions, to.

eliminate the decomposition of petroleum by the required heat for distillation; secur-' ing by fractionation by successive steps in a single operation products of better quality than heretofore produced by the processes in use. To reduce the cost of installation, operation and maintenance of the plant and simplify and improve the products and the process of fractioning natural or artificial liquid compositions.

This process of fractionation by distillation of any mixtureof liquids or fusible and volatile solids is particularly advantageous on such mixtures as petroleum, coal tar, or gas tar, which contain elements decomposable by heat, but it is not limited to those designated substances.

The definition 5f distillation presupposes a means for subsequent condensation by cold, after the application of heat to force I volatilization.

We wish toclearly difi'erentiate our process of the fractionation of liquids from simple distillation and to the fractionation of the mass ofvapors arising from a boiling liquid In the latter instance to ebtain the components given off at a high boiling point, the more volatile components are subjected to a heat far above their boiling points and are decomposed, broken down, lost and combined with the heavier components, to the detriment of the commercial value of the latter; whereas in our process and as the. result of our novel form of apparatus, the several components are glven ofi? Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 11, 1913. Serial No. 760,388.

Patented Apr. 1%, 1mm.

at their individual boiling points, retaining their desirable commercial characteristics of gravity, color, taste, smell or other standards, no by-products of decomposition or waste being carried over from one stage to the other in the continuous single operation made by said drawings and description, as

We may adopt many variations within the scope of our invention as expressed in said claims. i

In the drawings Figure l is a diagrammaticside elevation partially in cross section on the line I, 1[ (Fig.2) illustrating the apparatus for fractionating liquids in accordance with the process of this invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the end coupling for the fractionation tubes in cross section on the line III-III (Fig. 1). Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same in cross section on the line ][VIV (Fig. 3). Fig. 5 is an end sectional view of a modification of our invention showing the tubes laterally ofi'set.

In detail the construction consists of the brick setting comprising the retort 1, having the arch top 2, and perforated arch wall 3, dividing ofl" the furnacejor combustion chamber 4, from the main body of the re tort. The stack 5 is provided to carry ofi the waste products of combustion from the retort. Combustion in any suitable form is provided in the furnace; oil fuelis prefer-- ably used because "of its easy regulation. This is supplied by the burner 6, projecting into the furnace and connected .to a source of fuel supply. The specifications of the retort and the general setting will vary with the modifications of the apparapractice.

' length of the tube exposed to the heat of the v retort.

.- brick, grate'bars, or the like, and is intendedtus or process to meet the requirements of particular conditions.

The fractionation means com rise the inclined tubes 7 joined at their en s by the re-. turn bends 8. So far as we are aware, the

shape and peculiar arrangement of the tubes 7 are new in this art. The tubes are D shaped in cross section and set with the flat side down to form a flat inclined floor subjected to the action of the heat in the retort;

The tubes are preferably composed of cast iron having the attaching flanges 9 cast thereon to provide means of attachment to the similar flanges 10 in the return bends 8. For the sake of economy, however, the tubes may be made of ordinary wrought iron pipe flattened intd an oval or D shaped cross-section; the ends being left round to receive the standard threaded fittings, the threaded fittings being-moreeconomical than flanged unions. The specific details of construction are variable with conditions to be met or individualtaste in putting this invention into The ends of the tubes .7 are set-in the walls 11 and 12, through which they project for the attachment of the return bends 8. The

inlet end of each tube is set higher than theoutlet end, and the flat side forms the floor" of .the tube. The upper side of the tubes is preferably insulated from' the heat of the retort by the shaped tiles 13 laid thereon the In large plants wherein the tubes are long and liable to sag under heatthey can be supported between the ends by one or more of the transverse supporting pipes 15 extending across the retort from side to side and extending through the sidewalls 16 and to confine the flame or fire to improvecombustlon and cause a more even distribution I of heat throughout the retort; the waste products of combustion pass through the stack 5; changes in fuebcall for consistent changes in the furnace arrangement. The return bend fittings 8 consist of th flanged openings 18 and 1'9 coinciding with the'ends of the tubes 7 .5; the body of the fitting is divided by the partition20 provided .Wltll an opening into which is fixed the. pipe 21 which extends downward into the body of the trap 22 which is normally filled with the liquid being-fractionated. The pipe 21 receives the liquid through the opening 18 and discharges it below the surface of the seal in the trap 22, whereby no vapor is permitted to pass from one tube or fractionation section to another because of the intervening traps past which no vapor or gascan pass. The liquid overflowing the trap 22 passes through the outlet 19 and into the succeeding tube or section. The tubes are offset laterally as shown i Fig. 5, to present the flat bottoms of each eration of the apparatus in fractionating petroleum 'or crude oil will be described herein, although we do not wish to be understood as. limiting the invention to that particular substance.

The crude oil is introduced through the control valve 28 into the topmost of the traps22 and overflows into the upper or high end of,the top tube 7, down which it gently flows, giving off by volatilization uner the influence of the heat in the retort that component that separates at the lowest boiling point, in this instance naphtha, benzin, or the like. The vapors given off in the topmost tube 7 cannot escape at, the

ends of this tube because of the liquid traps there, but are led oif through the pipe A wherein they condense by natural radiation,

-or' they may be passed through a suitable mechanical condenser before passing to a suitable storage tank (not shown). To protect the upper portion of the tube containing the volatile vapors from the excessive heat, the tubes are insulated with the tiles 13, otherwise these vapors may be broken down or burned by the excessive heat, and theirecommercial value reduced. This is particularly true of the heavier components given 011 in the lower tubes where the heat is progressively greater and the boiling points of the remaining components higher. To insure the proper evacuation of each tube; it .is preferably provided with thesteam inlet 24, controlled by the valve 25, adapted to inject a jet of steam into the top of the tubet'o pick up the rising vapors and carry them downward and out at the ,higher, representing the boiling point of the liquid at which the lighter distillates The processof fractionation and the op- Would be volatilized and fractionated or divided out by volatilization rising from the flowing mass of liquid, into the upper portion of the tube from which they areevacuated by the steam jet as described in connection with tube 7", the vapors'passing off through the pipe B to'a condenser or to a proper receptacle direct.

The process of fractionation of the component units from the flowing mass continues from tube to tube until the desired number of divisions have taken place, the

heavier distillate passing ofl throu h the pipe C; the lighter gravity lubricati g oil from the pipe D; the medium gravity oil from the pipe E; the heavier grayity. oil from the pipe F; the residuum passing off through the pipe G. The process can be continued as long as the liquid will fractionate, the number ofdivisions depending upon the components of the liquid or the number of units in the apparatus, or the temperature of the fractionation tubesor units. In this manner the liquid is divided into as many fractions as there are tube units plus a non-volatile residue.

The'temperature of the distillates and of the residue from any given unit is controlled by means of the fire and the feed, an

increase of feed lowers the temperature of the tubes, while an increase of the fire raises it; whereby the fractionation can be stabilized and the fractional constants or standards maintained.

Among the prime advantages of this process and means of fractionation, are, the high quality and sharply defined properties of each fractionated component or product.

This is largely due to the fact that each particular fraction'is not subjected to a heat greater than its boilingpoint: and owing to the traps sealing each end of each tube or battery of tubes controlling a given fraction, preventing the carrying over of one vapor from one unit to the next.

Economy in operation follows the direct fractionation in the use of this invention,

because much of the purification and stabilizing of the products is eliminated, that is a consequence of the old method of distillation and fractionation of the vapor products thereof; less heat being required to treat a. given quantity of raw material where such material is divided into thin flowing films, and the divided quantities progressively removed from further heat absorption, in contra-distinction to the old process of distillation wherein ,the whole mass is acted upon by-the heat which is required to raise the boiling pointof the mass to the maximum temperature necessary to the division of the component having the highest boilingpoint, making no mention of the deleterious effect of the excessive heat on the intermediate components. Other ad- "for generating the steam for carrying the vapors from the fractionation tubes.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified way of passing the heat between alternate banks of fractionation tubes, a structure desirable in large plants to cause the heat to take a tortuous course through the retort causing a more uniform distribution of heat according to the various fractionation levels in the courses of tubes. The banks of tubes 27, 27?; 27, 27 27 and 27? start alternately from the side walls 30 and 31, causing the products of combustion to take the tortuous course indicated by. the curved arrows.

What we claim and desire to securerby Letters Patent is:

1; An apparatus for fractionating masses, including a heating chamber; a series of tubes U shaped in cross section, superimposed in zig-zag formation in said chamber, with the fiat portion of the tubes downward; vapor traps at the junctions of said tubes; vapor exits from said tubes; heat in- .sulating covering applied to the upper side of said tubes; and means for flowing a film of the mass of uniform depth, along the bot- 1 toms of said tubes.

2. An apparatus for fractionating masses, including a heating chamber; a series of tubes ID shaped in cross section, superimposed inzig-zag formation in said chamber,

with the flat bottoms of the tubes downward; vapor exits from the lower ends of said tubes; vapor traps at the junctions of said tubes; inlets at the upper ends ofsaid tubes for an expansive fluid; means for flowing a film of the mass of uniform depth, along the flat bottoms of said tubes; and means for heating thelower tubes to a relatitgely higher temperature than the upper tu es.

An apparatus forfractionating masses,

the upper side of said tubes; transverse tubular supports extending across said heat- 7 ing chamber beneath each series of tubes;

and a heating means beneath 'said heating chamber.

4. An apparatus for fractionating masses,

. including a heating chamber; a series of flat 5. An apparatus for fractionating masses,

including-a heating chamber; a series of flat bottomed tubes, superimposed in zig-zag formation both vertically and laterally in said chamber; heat insulating coverings applied to the upper portions of said tubes, and alternately joined to the opposite walls of said chamber and spaced. from the oppof I site walls thereof, whereby the heat admit- 25 v in a laterally tortuous passage therethrough.

ted at the bottom of said chamber will rise .6. An apparatus for fractionating masses, including a heating chamber; a series of flat .bottomed tubes superimposed in zig-zag' formation in said chamber; return bend fit tings joining the converging ends of said tubes, and having a dividing partition therein, a trap in said fitting, and a pipe in said ber and having the flat portions thereof I 'film of the said mass of uniform depth along the bottoms of said tubes.

8. An apparatus for fractionating masses including a heating chamber; a series 0 tubes D shaped in cross section, superimposed in zig-zag formation in said chamber, with the flat portion of the tubes downward; vapor traps at the junctions of said tubes; vapor exits from said tubes; heat insulating covering applied to the upper side of said tubes, means for flowing a film of the mass of uniform depth along the bottoms of said tubes, and means for introducing gases of combustion into said chamber at one' end thereof.

9. An apparatus for fractionating masses, including a heating chamber; a series of tubes D shaped in cross section, superimposed in zig-zag formation in said chamber, with the fiat portion of the tubes downward; vapor traps at the junctions of saidtubes; vapor exits from said tubes; heat in sulating covering applied to the upper side of said tubes; means for flowing a film of the mass of uniform depth, along the botpartition terminating below the top of said@ toms of said tubes, and means for introductrap; means for flowing a film of the mass along the bottoms of said tubes, through saigjLpipes and traps; a vapor exit at the bottom of each tube, and an inlet at the top of each tube to admit an evacuation fluid,

substantiallyas described. V

7. An apparatus for fracti'onatin'g masses including a heating chamber, a series of tubes D-shaped in cross section, superimposed 1n zig-zag arrangement 1n sald chair ing steam into said tubes.

In testimony'whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at San Francisco, California, this 29th day of March, 191-3.

Y In presence of BALDWIN VALE,

I H. H. Bnnns. 

